Runlin Gao, M.D., to be presented with TCT Career Achievement Award

NEW YORK - October 25, 2016 - Internationally renowned interventional cardiologist, Runlin Gao, MD, will be presented with the TCT Career Achievement Award on Sunday, October 30th during the 28th Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in Washington, DC. TCT is the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF). TCT Directors, Martin B. Leon, MD, and Gregg W. Stone, MD, will present the award.

"We are extremely proud to honor Runlin Gao with the TCT 2016 Career Achievement Award," said Dr. Leon, CRF Founder and Co-Director of Medical Research and Education. "Over the course of his distinguished career, he has transformed patient care by single-handedly establishing the field of interventional cardiology in China through his commitment to clinical research and education. His spirit and vision has propelled China as a potent world force in cardiovascular medicine. He is a revered member of the interventional community and we are privileged to recognize the remarkable achievements of this extraordinary, yet humble man."

A lifelong researcher and innovator, Dr. Gao spearheaded the rapid development of interventional cardiology in China by establishing world-class clinical research facilities and conducting ground-breaking trials. He is a true pioneer, becoming the first to perform percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock in China. He was also the first in the country to report on coronary stenting, intravascular brachytherapy and drug-eluting stents. In recent years, he has conducted studies on bioresorbable and gene-eluting stents, as well as investigations on clinical pathways to shorten the gap between medical guidelines and practice in acute coronary syndrome. Throughout his career, he has remained an advocate of large-scale randomized trials adequately powered to make evidence-based decisions.

"Dr. Gao is one of the most inspiring leaders in our field," added Dr. Stone, Co-Director of Medical Research and Education at CRF. "He has advanced medical practice by combining a passion for evidence-based medicine with the practice of interventional cardiology, contributing importantly to our understanding of bare-metal stents, drug-eluting stents, and restenosis therapies. He has led some of the largest randomized trials in these areas, and taught several generations of cardiologists in Asia. His work has had an immeasurable impact on the growth and quality of interventional cardiology in China, and has contributed to the improved prognosis for patients with heart disease around the world."

Dr. Gao has been deeply devoted to the education and training of colleagues and future generations by developing national training programs, promoting evidence-based medicine, and standardizing the practice of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in China. He founded the interventional cardiology unit at Fu Wai Hospital in 1986, establishing it as the largest PCI facility in the world today. A staunch supporter of global collaboration, he also founded China Interventional Therapeutics (CIT), a TCT partner and the premier meeting of its kind in Asia.

"When Dr. Gao founded CIT more than a decade ago, it started as a relatively small meeting and grew to the largest interventional cardiology meeting in China and Asia today. Under his leadership, it has transformed the level of practice and technical expertise in China, making China one of the world leaders in the field in a relatively short period of time," said Gary S. Mintz, MD, Managing Co-Director of TCT and Chief Medical Officer of CRF. "Honoring him also gives us the opportunity to recognize the vital contributions of the Chinese interventional community."

Dr. Gao is currently Professor of Medicine and Chief Cardiologist of the Cardiovascular Institute and Fu Wai Hospital. He has published more than 500 papers in peer-reviewed medical journals. He serves as editor-in-chief of National Medical Journal of China, honorary editor-in-chief of Chinese Journal of Cardiology, and deputy editor-in-chief of Chinese Circulation Journal and British Medical Journal Chinese Edition. He is an Advisory Board Member of Chinese Medical Journal (English) and an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions, the Journal of Interventional Cardiology (USA), and Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (Japan).

Dr. Gao was Vice President of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association from 2002 to 2011. Before that, he served as Director of the Department of Cardiology and the President of Cardiovascular Institute and Fu Wai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from 1996 to 2002. Dr. Gao graduated from Beijing Medical University in 1965 and went on to obtain a master's degree from Peking Union Medical College in 1981. He completed his interventional cardiology fellowship training from 1985 to 1986 at Loma-Linda University School of Medicine in California.

The TCT Career Achievement Award will be presented on Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 11:00 AM ET in the Main Arena (Level 3, Ballroom) of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

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About CRF and TCT

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is a nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to helping doctors improve survival and quality of life for people suffering from heart and vascular disease. For over 25 years, CRF has helped pioneer innovations in interventional cardiology and has educated doctors on the latest treatments for heart disease.

Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) is the annual scientific symposium of CRF and the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. Now in its 28th year, TCT features major medical research breakthroughs and gathers leading researchers and clinicians from around the world to present and discuss the latest evidence-based research in the field.

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